Drop-stitch mechanism for knitting machines



July 24, 1928. 1,678,386

I. W. GROTHEY DROP STITCH MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Dec. Sheets-Sheet 1 & JV

INI/ENTOR, IVAN W. GROTHEY 5y 72.219 aizameys July 24, 1928.

' I. w. GROTHEY DROP STITCH MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Fil ed Dec. 24, 1926 2 SheetsSheet 2 MwN QR i INVE/VTUR IVAN W.GROTHEY y atZa/vzqys Patented July 24, W23.

STATES IVAN W. GRO'IHEY, OF LACONIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR TO SCOTT & WILLIAMS,

INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

DROP-STITCH MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

Application filed. December 24, 1926. Serial No. 156,972.

The invention relates to mechanism for controlling the sinkers of circular knitting machines, and more particularly to the provision of pattern mechanism which is adapted to produce drop stitch effects by rocking the sinkers. The mechanism can be adjusted in a simple and practical manner to'produce any desired variations in selection of the sinkers to be rocked.

One object of the present invention is to provide quick and easy means for producing drop stitch effects while permitting the use of all the needles, so that any desired parts of the stocking or the like may be knit plain without the 0 en work or drop stitch effects.

Another ob ect of the invention is to control each sinker individually for the purpose of varying the design. Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby a sinker may by a simple rocking movement, given to it by the jack means permanently associated with that sinker, carry out its usual web-holding function or assist in the manufacture of a drop stitch.

In the specification and drawings the invention is shown embodied in the well-known Scott & \Villiams type of revolving needle cylinder seamless hosiery machine.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a seamless hosiery machine showing the pattern mechanism for controlling the individual knitting elements,

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 5 taken through half of the needle. cylinder showing further details of the pattern mechanism,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the needle cylinder, jack selector cam, and mechanism controlling the latter; the circle of needles and the jack means being divided into three'parts,

.one part of the circle being shown at the level aa of Fig. 2, another at the level b-b, and another at'the level 0-c; while Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3 showing the means connecting the sinker to the pattern jack.

The usual details of the needle cylinder are shown in Figs. and 4 from which it will be observed that the needles N are independently movable in the tricks 261 of the needle cylinder 260, being held in those tricks by the spring band 263 as usual. There is an inside sinker ring 297 fast in the upper end of the needle cylinder 260 which ring is slotted to receive the sinkers W as usuaL. The needle cylinder 260 is movable vertically with respect to the main head gear ring 30 to ad ust the length of the stitch and for other purposes, by means of cylinder raising pins 256 which pass through the horizontal portion of the gear ring 30 and rest on and rotate with respect to a cylinder bearing ring 257 which rests on the top of .the cylinder raising tube 280. The needle cylinder is revolved by the main head gear ring 30 but is adjusted vertically in unison with the cylinder raising tube 280 by sliding on the vertical sleeve 251 of'the gear ring.

The novel pattern control mechanism for the knitting elements includes a skeleton cylpattern wheel 730 which can be racked around in any desired manner.

The novel ack means permanentlyassociated with each sinker comprise a long jack 732 and a pattern jack 736. The upper end of each long jack contacts with the forward end of its sinker, i. e., the end which proects inwardly of the needlecylinder. In

ig. 2 the contact is made by slotting the upper end of the jack and having the forward end of the sinker slide in the slot with a downwardly directed hook to overlying the upper end of the long jack. Each sinker is given its reciprocations by the usual operating butt to. Each sinker also has a ledge or loop-forming edge w lying opposite the needle before the sinkers arepushed in. In Fig. 2 thesinker is shown rocked upwardly in its dotted position, this movement occurring as the adjacent needles commence to go down under the stitch cam. The sinkers are held in this position till after the stitch is The long jack extends downward inside the vertical sleeve 251 of the gear ring 30 to the skeleton jack cylinder 734. The jack cylinder is attached to the bottom of the gear ring 30. Inside the sinker ring and long jacks is't-he usual fabric tube 700 supported on a pin projecting inwardly from a cam 741 (Fig. 3) mounted on the cylinder raising tube 280. This pin lies in a s 0t on the fabric tube, thus permitting the latter to be raised or lowered but not rotated. In the slots of the jack cylinder are pattern jacks 736 each having a pivotal connection with one of the long jacks 732, preferably by means of a butt 737 on the long jack inserting in a notch in the upper end of the attern jack. Each pattern jack also has a utt 738 at its upper end projecting outwardly from the jack cylinder and a designing butt 739 adapted to project outwardly from the skeleton c linder at some point below the spring band 740 which hold the pattern jacks in the jack cylinder. In Fig. 1 the designing butts 7 39 are shown in solid black but the remainder of the pattern jacks are not indicated; and in Fig. 2 the different butt levels are shown in dot and dash lines. These pattern jacks are of such a depth that they can be pushed inwardly until the aforementioned designing butt 739 is flush with the skeleton cylinder before the inneredge of the pattern jack touches the fabric tube 700 which lies inside the jack 0 linder of the gear sleeve 251. It will be observed that if the designing butt is pushed inwardly the pattern jack will ivot on its connection with its long jack, t us leaving the operating butt of the pattern jack extending inside the skeleton cylinder. There are four stationary cams arranged near the skeleton cylinder which are deslgned to operate the needle when the designing butt of the corresponding pattern jack is pressed inwardly. When the designing butt 739 of one of the pattern jacks is pushed radially inwards, i. e., depressed, the bottom edge of that pattern jack comes in the path of a stationary raising cam 741 which is located inside the lower end of the jack cylinder about 180 in advance of the knitting point (Fig. 3,). This raising cam 741 lifts the pattern jack and its long jack to a position in which the sinker is tipped to the dotted position shown in Fig. 4. The return movements are effected by means of a lowering cam 742 and a bevel caIn743 located at a point shortly after the completion of the knitting point, i. e., about 120 before cam 741 and mounted on the cylinder raising tube. The lowering cam 742 is just outside the jack cylinder at a pointnear the top of the slots in that cylinder, and serves to push the pattern jack down, (see Fig. 2). For convenience the cams 741, 742, 743, are all indicated in Fig. 2 though their circumferential positions are different from the sec tion line on which the figure is taken. The showing of cams 741 and 743 in this figure is largely diagrammatic, the cams being of difierent'shape and at different circumferential positions as shown in Fig. 3. This lowering of the pattern jack in turn pulls down the long jack 732. Simultaneously, the bevel cam 743 which is inside the lower end of the jack cylinder at the same level as raising cam 741 pushes the lower end of the pattern jack outwardly till the designing butt is in position to be pushed radially inward again as desired.

For the purpose of selecting the pattern jacks by pressing the designing butts of these pattern jacks inwardly, a jack selector cam 750 is provided pivoted on a vertical rod 751 and adapted to oscillate thereon. The vertical rod 7 51 is located outside the cylinder raising tube 280 adjacent the usual opening therein such as shown in the Robert W. Scott Patent 1,152,850 dated September 7, 1915, and the designing butts of the pattern acks passing by this opening are acted on by the jack selector cam. By making this jack selector cam movable vertically and providing designing butts on the pattern jacks at difierent levels selections of different pattern jacks can be caused at difi'erent times. In the construction shown in the drawings butts are shown at thirteen levels and further variations in pattern can be obtained by varying the vertical width of the face of the pattern selector cam 750 or by providing pattern jacks with designing butts which cover more than one level. Of course, the pattern jack which has designing butts at more than one level need not have the two butts at adjacent levelsthey can be spaced apart if the pattern requires it.

By means of mechanism which will now be described this jack selector cam can be moved up and down through practically any desired sequence. This mechanism consists of lever means operated by a segmental cut pattern wheel 730. The jack selector cam 750 is mounted on the rod 751 by means of a sleeve 752. The rod 7 51 is fastened at the top to the bedplate B and the lower end slides freely in a hole on an angle plate on the cylinder raising tube 280. This sliding support is necessary in view of the fact that the cylinder raising tubeis movable vertically with relation to the bedplate D.

The sleeve'752' is operated by a vertically adjustable driving link 753 pivotally connected to a lever 754 whose other end carries a cam tooth engaging against the circumference of the pattern wheel 7 30. This lever is pivoted on the main pattern drum shaft 76. There is a spring 755 stretched between the bottom of the cylinder raising tube 280 and the lever 734 which'tends' to hold the jack selector cam 750 in its lowermost position and it will therefore be apparent that the revolution of this pattern wheel 730 will cause the jack selector cam to be'moved directly from one position to another in accordance with the height of the successive segments of the pattern wheel. By means of the threaded connection between the parts of the adjustable driving link the selector cam is swung into and out of engagement with the pattern jack butts 739 without disturbing the lever 7 54. Furthermore the level of the selector cam with relation to the whole range of the butt levels can be changed by detaching the upper part of the driving link from the sleeve and giving it one or two turns. In this way the cam can be set to press two butt levels instead of one. For turning the pattern Wheel any suitable means can be employed but I have shown it operated by pattern control means such as shown and described in the'patentto Albert E. Page, Number 1,637,337 dated May 3,

when coming to the end of the foot.

1927. With this construction the pattern wheel is mounted fast on a striping shaft 19 to which is also fastened ratchet wheel 21 operated by a racking pawl 23. The racking pawl 23 is swiveled at its other end to a lever 24: pivoted on the'frame of the machine. This lever 24 and racking pawl 23 are reciprocated continuously by an oval shaped cam 25 located on the main drive shaft of the knitting machine. The oval shaped cam 25 and the teeth on the ratchet wheel 21 are so cut that at each reciprocation of the racking pawl the striping drum is advanced the length of one tooth on the ratchet wheel.

In order to stop the rotation of the pattern wheel when the machine is knitting parts of the stocking where the pattern is not desired, an idling lever 530 is mounted on the striping shaft 19. The foot of this lever overlies the main pattern drum 120 and is adapted to be lifted by the cam 501. Projecting upward from this lever to a point just below the racking pawl 23 is an adjusting arm 531. When the idling lever 530 rides up onto cam 501 this arm 531 is adapted to lift the racking pawl to a position whe're'it will not engage any of the teeth on the ratchet wheel. The cam 501 is so positioned on the main pattern drum that its idling begins as the needle cylinder begins reciprocation at the heel. At the end of the heel the racking pawl 23 is lowered to continue the interrupted pattern by moving the pattern wheel from where it left off, with the result that the pattern is unbroken on the instep of the stocking in spite of the insertion ofthe heel on the back. It will be noted in Fig. 1 that one of the teeth on the ratchet wheel is lower than the others. The difference in heightof this tooth is made use of When the end of the pattern of the foot is reached, the idlinglever 530 rides up onto a cam 502 on the circumference of the main pattern drum 120, but this cam 502 is not as h gh as cam 501 and causes the arm 531 to lift the racking pawl to such a height that it will continue advancing the ratchet wheel 21.1mtil it comes to the low tooth over which it idles until it is again'desired to make the pattern. This insures the pattern always starting at the beginning when starting a highest segm nt, in the wheel can, of course,

be made equa to the difference between two neighboring levels of designing butts on the pattern jacks, and it is so shown in the drawings where there are 13 heights of segments in the pattern wheel and a similar number of levels of designing butts on the pattern jacks. If desired, however, by dividing the range of travel of the jack selector cam into more steps than there are levels of designing butts on the pattern jacks, it is possible to make the jack selector cam press inward either the designing-butts at one level or the designing butts at two neighboring levels, every other segment on the pattern wheel being of a height which will position the jack selector cam opposite the designing butts at two levels. In this case it is merely necessary to insert a segment which is two steps higher than the previous one if it is desired to move straight from one butt level to the next one. This same effect can be produced with slight limitations when the number of heights of segments on the pattern wheel are equal to the number of levels of designing butts on the pattern jacks, by making the 'ack selector cam of a height equal to the eight of two or more designing b'ut-ts on the jack cams. Further varia tions in pattern are very easily obtained, by employing designing butts on the-pattern jacks which cover two or more of the regular butt levels as heretofore mentioned and as shown in Fig. 1.,

The constructions already described and referred to provide a device on which several characteristic changes of pattern can be made, covering in a very sim le manner all ,the variations in attern whic are normally desired. In the rst place, the pattern jacks can of course be changed to provide different designing butts to give drop stitches at any one or combination of courses provided the cycle over which the combination extends is not more-than the number of levels of butts bein employed. This changing of the designing butts on the pattern jacks in the present invention, primarily speaking, de-' termines which groups of slnkers are to be manipulated at the same time. When the number of designing butt levels equals the number of steps into which the travel of the jack selector cam is divided, the series of butts at any one level must either be operated by itself or must be operated simultaneously with one of the adjoining series accordin to the height or level of the face of the jack selector cam.

The second point atwhich changes can be made in the pattern is in the height or level of the face of the jack selector cam. The face can be of such a height that it will press only the butts of one level, two levels, or more if desired. By changing the level of the face it can be made to press two levels at once, and by reducing the number of levels or increasing the number of heights the cam can be made to press one or two levels simultaneously as desired. These changes have the characteristic of not affecting the frequency with which the changes are made butof causing the changes to overlap or not as desired.

A third characteristic type of change can be made by varying the height or order of segments of the pattern wheel. This. of course, is the easiest way of varying the sequence of changes amongst a predetermined series of sinker groups, i. e., tho e determined by the designing butts on the pattern jacks. The shape of the circumference 00f the pattern Wheel can be varied to cause the jack selector cam to change direction of movement at any time or move over two levels at one step. The combining of the vertical oscillation of the jack selector cam with the revolving jack cylindercontaining the pattern jacks is of special value in what might be termed out and back patterns, e. g, diamond shaped patterns. In the case of such patterns, it is necessary to set up only half the pattern on the jack cylinder as the movement of the jack selector cam in the reverse direction will cause the production of the second half of the set-up. This is the type of pattern shown in the drawings. It may be noted further that the second half of such patterns can be unlike the first half in its sequence, though the set-up in the drawings shows a regular progression of the jack selector earn from bottom to top and down again.

If it is desired to have a pattern which is not of the out and back character, the jack selector cam can be made to employ all but the last egment of the pattern wheel, in reaching the highest level of jack butts and the last segment can be used to drop oflt to the lowest or beginning posit-ion. This increased number of steps in the sequence of the pattern can be employed either in producing a longer sequence or in lengthening the eriod through which any desired steps in t e-sequence are continued. Of cour*e the uence of vertical movements of the jack se ector cam need not begin at the lowest level nor cover all the levels. Steps of half the usual height can also be employed to vary the number of butt levels operated on at one time, as already mentioned. From this brief exposition of the possibilities of the segmental pattern wheel in association with the vertically movable jack selector cam and the revolving jack cylinder it will be apparent that parctically any desired patterns can be set up with the minimum number of operations.

The number of courses over which the sequence of pattern determined by the pattern jacks, jack selector cam and pattern wheel is made, can be lengthened in regular or irregular manner by the intermittent idling of the pawl 23 caused by the mechanism described in the above mentioned patent of Albert E. Page. By means of the mechanism described in that patent the step from one sequence to the next can be delayed one, two, or three courses of the knitting in cycles of four courses of knitting.

This invention also includes effective means of throwing this needle control mechanism into and out of operation as the different portions of the stocking are knit. This feature of the invention consists essentially of swinging the jack selector cam away from operative relation with the designing butts of the pattern jacks by means of mechanism operated from a cam on the main pattern drum. As heretofore explained, the jack selector cam is mounted on the rod 751 by means of a sleeve 752. Projecting from thelower end of this sleeve 752 is a horizontal arm 758 engaging against a vertical pin 759 mounted in the end of a lever 760. This lever is horizontally pivoted on a stationary bracket 764 on the pattern drum shaft 76. The lever 760 has fastened horizontally therethrough an adjusting screw 761 adapted to engage against a earn 762 projecting horizontally from the end of the main pattern drum 120. By this means the jack selector cam is kept in operative position while the adjusting screw 761 is on the cam 762. There is a tension spring 763 stretched between the lever 760 and the driving rod 753 which turns the sleeve 752 on the rod 751 as soon as the pin 761 rides ofir the cam 762 thus swinging the jack selector cam 750 out of operative position. As mentioned before, the threaded connection between the two parts of the adjustable driving link 753 permits the jack selector cam to swing into and out of engagement with the jack butts .without disturbing the lever 754. The upper part of the driving link 753 is fastened to the sleeve 750 by a small removable pin.

In order that the vertical reciprocation of the jack selector cam may not interfere with the vertical pin 759 transmitting tothc arm 758 the indications of the cam on the end of the main pattern drum 120, the pin 759 extends above the arm 758 some little distance.

Hill

increase The mechanism operates in the manner which will now be described. Assuming that the machine is making a stocking in which it is desired to produce drop stitch pattern in the leg of the stocking, the machine knits the welt and the portion of the leg in the usual fashion down to where the drop stitch pattern is to begin. Through this period the adjustable pin 761 is oil the cam on the end of the main pattern drum 120 and the spring 763 between the lever 760 and the vertical link 753 is therefore holding the jack selector cam away from the designing butts of the pattern jacks on the jack cylinder. The idling lever 530 is on the low cam 502 with the result that the racking pawl 23 is idling over the low tooth on the ratchet wheel 21, and the jack selector cam is motionless. When it is time to begin the drop stitch pattern the main pattern drum 120 is racked forward and the pin 761 rides uponto the cam on the end of the" pattern drum. This turns the arm 758 of the sleeve 752 pushing the jack selector cam against the 'the needle cylinder, and each segment of the wheel is one step higher than the previous one. In this'way the vertical elevation of the jack selector cam is changed every revolution of the jack cylinder in regular progression. It should be noted that the jack selector cam can stay in operative position throughout the making of the pattern.

The face of the jack selector cam presses inwardly the lower ends of thepattern jacks whose designin butts come in its path, the heel of the radially depressed pattern jacks thereby standing inwardly of the bottom of the jack cylinder in the path of the stationary cam 741. The needles and jacks in Fig. 3 are shown at three levels taken on Fig. 2 in order to make-the operation clearer. The part dis a section on the level arr-11 of Fig. 2.which is the fourth butt level from the bottom. The butts which are at this level according to the pattern set up in Fig. 1 are shown in solid black while the butts at the two lower levels are shownin lain white. When these inwardly pressed acks come to the cam 741, they are pushe upwardly to the dotted position shown in Fig.

ill?

2, and simultaneously the long jacks attached to these particular pattern jacks are elevated rocking the sinkers upwardly to the dotted position of Fig. 4. This raises the ledge w to a level such that a drop stitch is formed. This movement occurs as the adjacent needles commence to go down under the stitch cam, and the sinkers are held in this position till after the stitch is drawn. Part 6 is a plan view of the needles and jacks. Thereafter the long jacks and pattern jacks travel round into engagement with the cams 742 and 7 43 which return them to their normal position.

The two cams act practically simultaneously as will appear from a glance at part c of the showing of the needles and jacks in Fig. 3. The lowering cam 742 engages the lowering butt 738 of the pattern jack and pushes that jack down thereby also lowering the long jack to normal position. The tapered cam 7 43 presses the lower ends of the pattern jacks outwardly until the designing butts 739 are in normal position, ready to be operated on again whenever the jack selector cam is at the level of that butt. At the completion of each revolution of the jack cylinder, the pattern wheel 730 is racked forward another segment and according to the pattern shown in Fig. 1, the jack selector cam rises to the next level and operates on butts at that level.

It should be noted that by having a single radially stationary earn it is thus possible to differentiate between one portion of the circle of sinkers and another and at the same time obtain absolute uniformity in the deflection ofthe long jacks. lt will-be obvious that any other manipulation of the yarns which can be caused by rocking the sinkers may be made by the mechanism which has been described.

Many variations will occur to those skilled in the art which do not depart'from the scope of the invention.

I do not claim in this application the control mechanism except when combined with sinkers. Generic claims on the control mechanism hereinabove disclosed form the subject of my patent application Ser. No. 105,805 filed April 30, 1926. Certain other applications of said control mechanism are disclosed and claimed in my application Ser. No. 196,089 filed June 2, 1927 and my patent 1,678,385 dated July 24, 1928.

ll claim:

1. A circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder, a series of sinkers therein and a series of jack means each associated with a sinker and adapted to rock said sinker for the purposeof formin a drop stitch, said series of jack means including pattern jacks having butts on difierent levels in combination with a jack selector cam and a patternwheel adapted to move said selector cam directly from one position to another within the range of butt levels.

' 2. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder, a circle of sinkers therein, and a series of jack means each associated with the forward end of a sinker and adapted to push said end of the sinker cam and a pattern wheel adapted to move said selector cam directly from one position to another within the range of butt levels. 3. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle cylinder, a circle of sinkers therein, and a series of jack means each in contact with the forward end of a sinker and adapted to push said ends of the sinker upwardly, said series of jack means including pattern jacks having butts at diil'erent levels in combination with a jack selector cam having direct movements from one position to another in the range of butt levels and a radially stationary operating cam adapted to transmit to the sinkers the selections given to the jack means by the selector cam.

4. In a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder, a circle of web holders, a main pattern drum, and a series of jack means including pattern jacks having butts at different levels, each of said series of jack means being associated with the inner end of a web holder and adapted to rock said web 5. A circular knitting machine having a revolving needle c linder, a circle of sinkers therein having ne s and an arm projecting inwardly of the needle cylinder, a series of long jacks each associated with one of said sinkers and adapted to tilt the inner end of this sinker upwardly for the purpose of making a drop stitch pattern, pattern jacks adapted to lift and lower said long jacks independently of each other, and having butts at different levels, in combination with a vertically movable jack selector cam, means adapted to put said cam into engagement with the jack butts and a pattern wheel causing vertical movements of said cams.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this specification.

IVAN \V. GROTHEY 

